Chicken Chettinad Masala - Not For the Faint of Heart

Although, I am a big fan of Indian cuisine, I'm not much of a fan of Indian restaurants (at least here in America).  First of all, most of them run buffets during lunch, which may be the only time you can get to them.  The quality of food on a buffet always takes a hit because of the large quantities prepared, and necessity to hold the food at a particular temperature to assure safety dries it all out.  Have you ever had tandoori chicken from a buffet that wasn't as desiccant as the Thar?  I know I haven't.

Additionally, the food served at most restaurants in America fails to deliver truly aromatic and flavorful dishes one expects from the Indian subcontinent for two reasons:

1.  Spices are expensive and Indian food uses a lot of them.  For this reason, a lot of restaurants cut back on the amount they use to reduce costs.  Your vindaloo might taste like ketchup, and your roghan josh will arrive to your table a deep red color from the paprika they used in place of the pleasantly piquant Kashmiri chiles, which create a burnt orange hue, not ruby. 

2.  Your curry is probably drowned in heavy cream!  Even if you aren't ordering korma or chicken makhani, the kind proprietors of your local Indian establishment have caught onto the fact that Americans love creamy, fatty foods, so they started throwing it into everything they make, further muting the essential spices.  

The solution to all of this is to make your own Indian food at home.  Desi people are a huge immigrant group in the U.S. and worldwide (England, the Caribbean, Spain).  Chances are there's an Indian or Desi grocery store near your humble abode.  This means you can get the necessary stuff to make proper Indian cuisine, probably saving money along the way, too. 

Whereas my local grocery store wants $3.69 for a 3.5 oz glass jar of fennel seeds, my local South Asian grocer asks $1.49 for the same amount (without the fancy glass jar).  They are also more likely to carry larger quantities of whole spices, which cuts down on costs significantly.  They might even have dried Gundu chiles, which are a staple of Chettinad cuisine.  If you manage to find a store like this, make sure to ask for curry leaves.  I'm not sure about their status in other countries, but they're illegal in America after customs agents found some pests on a shipment a couple years back.  Some places still have them under the counter.  Even though I suggest bay leaves as a replacement, there's really no substitute for their woody, citrus flavor essential to most South/West Indian cuisines. 

This dish requires a bit of work, but the end result is worth it.  I've also supplied a "Cheater's" Masala below the full recipe for those who are trying to save time, not go to the grocery store, or whatever it may be.  This dish is great for entertaining because you can make the entire thing the day before and throw it all in a big pot to warm up before serving.  The flavor will have improved and intensified, so be careful with the heat.  For diners who are not into spicy food, consider cutting down the cayenne by half or substituting it with a more mild chile.  Still remove the cardamom and cloves before storing in the fridge, but keeping the cinnamon and bay leaves is recommended.  They'll continue to add flavor, and are easy to dig out later.

Now, a note about the spice tempering method in this recipe.  Since this dish requires a lot of prep work, how angry would you be if when you finally make it to the stove, you burn your cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom?  I know I'd be angry.  This would mean you've wasted expensive spices, have to remeasure, get a new pan, and clean another.  For this reason, you may want to consider the technique shown in the video.  Your oil will still be infused will the flavors of the herbs and spices, and you'll have a much lower chance of pissing yourself off, and possibly swearing off making anything that involves tempering spices again.  If you're daring or experienced, the proper tempering technique goes as such:

1.  Heat oil on high until shimmering.
2.  Add cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves and stir for 30 seconds.
3.  Add bay leaves and stir for another 30-60 seconds. 
4.  Add cayenne pepper once edges of bay leaves have browned, and stir for 30 seconds.
5.  Add onion, jalapeño, and tomatoes and continue the recipe as shown in the video.

One last thing-- this dish has a considerable anisette quality from the fennel seeds.  If you don't like those flavors, cut back on the fennel by at least 1/4 teaspoon.  Anyway, I hope you decide to make the time for this spicy South Indian curry.  It goes great with lamb or goat, too.  Enjoy. 



Ingredients (serves 4):

2 whole chicken breasts (about 19 ounces, in this case)
1/2 cup of water for deglazing pan
3/4 of an onion
2 jalapeños, use Gundu chiles if you can find them!
2 roma tomatoes, or one large beefsteak
1 t cumin seeds
4 cardamom pods, green is preferred
2 cloves
1/2 t ground cayenne pepper 
2, 1 inch cinnamon sticks (the internet tells me that's 1 teaspoon, ground)
4-8 bay leaves*
cilantro and fresh mint to garnish

*10 curry leaves would be ideal here, but they are illegal in the U.S., and subsequently difficult to find.  I used 4 huge bay leaves as a substitute.  Use 6 if your bay leaves are around 2 inches long. 

Garlic-Ginger Paste

6 cloves garlic, quartered
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, sliced thinly
1/4 onion, sliced
3 serrano chiles
~ 3 T coconut water or water to make paste**

Coconut Paste

Meat of one young coconut (5 T of shredded coconut should work)
3/4 t fennel seeds (anise seeds would work, too)
1 t poppy seeds
1 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground cayenne pepper
~3-4 T coconut water or water to make paste**

** Add liquid gradually until a paste forms; shredded coconut might require less liquid.

Marinade

2 T yogurt
1 T garlic-ginger paste
1 1/2 t coconut paste
1/2 t turmeric powder
1/4 t garam masala
1/4-1/2 t ground cayenne pepper 
1/2 t ground black pepper

N.B.  For a less spicy version, use less cayenne or substitute it with a more mild ground chile.  Another option is to substitute the jalapeños with poblanos, green bell pepper, or any more mild chile (Color really doesn't matter, but Anaheims are green and mild).

"Cheater's" Chettinad Masala

2 whole chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and salted
1 whole onion, sliced thinly
2 jalapeños, 1 chopped, 1 sliced into strips (if you don't have any, just use more chili powder)
2 roma tomatoes, roughly diced (reallty can't get to the store? 3 T of ketchup will work)
1 thumb sized piece of ginger or galangal, sliced thinly (if you just have ginger powder, skip it)
6 cloves of garlic, minced or at least 1 T garlic powder
1 t cumin powder
1/2 t fennel seeds, crushed
1 T + 1 1/2 t (4 1/2 t) curry powder
1/2 t ground cinnamon or 1, 1 inch stick
cayenne to taste (Remember, there are no serranos in this, so 1/2 tsp won't overpower the dish)
1 14 oz can of coconut milk
4-8 bayleaves, same disclaimer as above
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro and mint to garnish

1.  Saute onion, chopped jalapeño, roma tomatoes, ginger, and garlic in 1 T neutral oil.  Add salt and cook for 30 seconds.
2.  Add cumin, fennel, and curry powder (if using garlic powder, add it now) to pan and continue to stir for another 3 minutes or until onions begin crisp up and turn brown around edges.  Stir constantly to keep spices from burning.  Lower heat if necessary.
3.  Add chicken pieces and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

*** If you're using ketchup instead of tomatoes, after about two minutes of stir frying, add ketchup and stir for one minute before continuing onto step 4

4.  Add coconut milk and scrape up the fond (bits stuck to pan) while pan deglazes.
5.  Add bay leaves and allow liquid to come to a boil.
6.  Once the liquid has come to a boil, lower heat to achieve a simmer.  Simmer until chicken is cooked.
7.  Check for seasoning (Does it need salt?  Too spicy?  Add sweetness.), and serve with rice, dosa, uttapams, or idly.  Garnish with fresh cilantro and mint. 

Need metric?

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